Leeds Sees Significant Increase in Pothole Repairs in Early 2026

Council accelerates road repairs following severe winter weather

Leeds City Council has reported a substantial rise in the rate of pothole repairs across the city during the first three months of 2026. This increase follows a challenging start to the year marked by persistent rainfall and saturated ground conditions, which contributed to a surge in pothole formation and reports.

Repair rates nearly triple in two months

Data from the council shows that the number of potholes repaired weekly rose from 382 in the first full week of January to a peak of 1,101 in the first week of March. In total, 5,224 potholes have been filled so far this year. This improvement has been attributed to the deployment of ten full-time pothole repair teams working extended hours.

New technologies and increased funding support repairs

The council has expanded its repair capacity by introducing three new pothole-filling technologies, which have been trialled over the past year and continued into early 2026. These include:

• Jet Patching
• JCB Pothole Pro
• Thermal Road Repair systems

These innovations aim to increase the proportion of permanent pothole repairs compared to temporary fixes, improving the overall durability of road surfaces.

In addition to technological advancements, the council has enhanced its use of data monitoring systems to track factors such as rainfall, river levels, pothole reports, and repair progress. This data-driven approach supports a more dynamic response to road maintenance needs.

Funding for pothole repairs has also increased significantly. Leeds City Council’s 2026/2027 budget includes £13 million in council funding and an additional £1 million in capital investment dedicated to addressing pothole repairs. This investment is intended to reduce the backlog of repairs, secure key strategic routes, and tackle complex surface issues.

Future plans and recognition

Looking ahead, the council plans to further integrate the new repair technologies and implement a climatic response framework to better manage pothole repairs amid increasing climate-related challenges. This framework responds to recent surges in pothole reports linked to extreme weather events in two of the past three years.

Nationally, Leeds City Council’s highways team received a green rating in the Department for Transport’s most recent Local Road Maintenance Review. This rating is awarded to authorities demonstrating strong governance, investment, and best practices in highway maintenance. Leeds was one of only 16 councils to receive this rating and one of two in Yorkshire.

Council statement

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, commented on the progress made:

“The highways team’s response to the climatic challenges faced in the first months of the year has been outstanding, and we can be proud of the work they have done to keep the city moving safely.

Moving forward, we have increased investment into our roads, and a robust strategy and processes are in place to not only meet future surges in demand, but also effectively tackle the backlog of pothole reports across the city.

Key to these changes is the extra funding agreed by the council. This will not only provide security for major routes but also tackle some of the more complex repairs in hard-to-access areas and bring down the backlog of reported potholes. Adding some of the impressive new technologies into the mix of pothole repair methods we employ will also allow us to make more permanent repairs more quickly.

While the work is not yet all done, these new figures prove we have an effective pothole strategy that is a strong basis to build on for the future.”